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{{short description|Indian film director, screenwriter, novelist, and journalist}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Khawaja Ahmad Abbas
| image              = Khwaja Ahmed Abbas 1939.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| caption            = Abbas in 1939
| other_names        = K A Abbas
| birth_date         = {{Birth date text|7 June 1914}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Ahmad-Abbas-The-man-who-gave-us-Amitabh-Bachchan/article14gffdfgg416709.ece|title=Ahmad Abbas: The man who gave us Amitabh Bachchan|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>
<!-- Do not add flag icons to place of birth/death, per [[BP:FLAG]] -->| birth_place        = [[Panipat]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]]
| occupation         = Film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, columnist
| death_date         = {{death date and age |df=y|1987|06|01|1914|06|7}}
| death_place        = [[Mumbai|Bombay]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| years_active       = 1935–1987
| notable_works      = {{hlist|''[[Saat Hindustani]]''|''[[Mera Naam Joker]]''}}
| relatives          = [[Altaf Hussain Hali]] (great-grandfather)
| awards             = {{hlist|[[National Film Awards]]|[[Golden Palm]]}}
}}
{{upscaled images|date=February 2025}}
{{Progressive Writers' Movement}}

'''Khwaja Ahmad Abbas''' (7 June 1914 – 1 June 1987)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.samaa.tv/news/2011/06/death-anniversary-of-khwaja-ahmad-abbas-today/|title=Death anniversary of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas today|date=1 June 2011|website=Samaa.tv|access-date=18 January 2019|archive-date=19 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121328/https://www.samaa.tv/news/2011/06/death-anniversary-of-khwaja-ahmad-abbas-today/|url-status=live}}</ref> was an [[Indian film directors|Indian film director]], screenwriter, novelist, and journalist in [[Urdu]], [[Hindi]] and English.

He won four [[National Film Awards]] in India. Internationally, his films won the {{Lang|fr|[[Palme d'Or]]|italic=no}} ([[Golden Palm]] Grand Prize) at [[Cannes Film Festival]] (out of three {{Lang|fr|Palme d'Or|italic=no}} nominations) and the [[Crystal Globe (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)|Crystal Globe]] at [[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival]]. As a director and screenwriter, he is considered one of the pioneers of Indian [[Parallel Cinema|parallel or neo-realistic cinema]].<ref name="Rajadhyaksha" />

As a director, he made [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] films. {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Dharti Ke Lal]]}} (1946), about the [[Bengal famine of 1943]], which was one of [[Indian cinema]]'s first [[Parallel Cinema|social-realist films]],<ref name="Rajadhyaksha">{{cite book|last=Rajadhyaksha|first=Ashish|title=Indian Cinema: A Very Short Introduction|date=2016|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=9780191034770|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUq1DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT61|language=en|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-date=30 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830091734/https://books.google.com/books?id=QUq1DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT61|url-status=live}}</ref> and opened up the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets|overseas market for Indian films]] in the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite news|title=With love from India to Russia|url=https://www.rbth.com/articles/2009/10/22/221009_indianfilms.html|work=[[Russia Beyond]]|date=22 October 2009|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-date=16 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816062142/https://www.rbth.com/articles/2009/10/22/221009_indianfilms.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Pardesi (1957 film)|Pardesi]]'' (1957) was nominated for the {{Lang|fr|Palme d'Or|italic=no}}. ''[[Shehar Aur Sapna]]'' (1963) won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]], while ''[[Saat Hindustani]]'' (1969) and ''[[Do Boond Pani]]'' (1972) both won the [[National Film Award (India)|National Film Awards]] for [[Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration|Best Feature Film on National Integration]].

As a screenwriter, he wrote a number of neo-realistic films, such as {{Lang|hi-latn|Dharti Ke Lal}} (which he also directed),<ref name="Rajadhyaksha"/> {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Neecha Nagar]]}} (1946) which won the {{Lang|fr|Palme d'Or|italic=no}} at the [[1946 Cannes Film Festival|first Cannes Film Festival]], ''Naya Sansar'' (1941), ''[[Jagte Raho]]'' (1956), and ''[[Saat Hindustani]]'' (which he also directed). He is also known for writing Raj Kapoor's films, including the {{Lang|fr|Palme d'Or|italic=no}}-nominated ''[[Awaara]]'' (1951), as well as ''[[Shree 420]]'' (1955), ''[[Mera Naam Joker]]'' (1970), ''[[Bobby (1973 film)|Bobby]]'' (1973) and ''[[Henna (film)|Henna]]'' (1991).<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-A-Ba/Abbas-K-A.html K. A. Abbas – Films as writer:, Films as director:] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627010037/http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-A-Ba/Abbas-K-A.html |date=27 June 2018 }} filmreference.com</ref>

His column 'Last Page' was one of the longest-running newspaper columns in the history of Indian journalism. It began in 1935, in ''[[The Bombay Chronicle]]'', and moved to the ''[[Blitz (newspaper)|Blitz]]'' after the ''Chronicle'''s closure, where it continued until his death in 1987.<ref name="ot"/> He was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] by the [[Government of India]] in 1969.

In total, his works include 74 books, 90 short stories, 3000 journalistic articles and 40 films.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krishnankutty |first=Pia |date=7 June 2020 |title=Writer, filmmaker, journalist — Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was master of all trades |url=https://theprint.in/india/writer-filmmaker-journalist-khwaja-ahmad-abbas-was-master-of-all-trades/436923/ |website=[[The Print]] |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-date=11 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011124009/https://theprint.in/india/writer-filmmaker-journalist-khwaja-ahmad-abbas-was-master-of-all-trades/436923/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Biography==

=== Family background ===
Abbas belonged to the [[Ansari (Panipat)|Ansari]] family of [[Panipat]], tracing its roots back to [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]], a close companion of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]], and among the famed personalities that it produced we find: the 12th century [[Sufism|Sufi]] saint [[Abdullah Ansari]] of [[Herat]] in [[Afghanistan]]; his maternal great-grandfather [[Altaf Hussain Hali]], a student of [[Mirza Ghalib]] and himself an Urdu poet of repute; his paternal grandfather Khwaja Ghulam Abbas, one of the chief rebels of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|1857 Rebellion]] movement, and the first martyr of [[Panipat]] to be blown from the mouth of a cannon; his father Ghulam-us-Sibtain, among the first graduates from [[Aligarh Muslim University]], who was a tutor of a prince and a businessman who modernised the preparation of [[Unani medicine]]s; Abbas's mother, Masroora Khatoon, was the daughter of Khwaja Sajjad Husain, an educator keen on female education, having established the first school for girls in Panipat.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=[[Syeda Saiyidain Hameed|Saiyidain Hameed]] |first=Syeda |date=18 October 2017 |title=Khwaja Ahmad Abbas: The Inveterate Communicator |url=https://www.sahapedia.org/khwaja-ahmad-abbas-the-inveterate-communicator |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205164645/https://www.sahapedia.org/khwaja-ahmad-abbas-the-inveterate-communicator |archive-date=5 February 2024 |website=[[Sahapedia]] |quote=}}</ref>

=== Early life and education ===
Abbas was born in [[Panipat]], [[undivided Punjab]].{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|1999|p=39}} He attended Hali Muslim High School, which was established by his maternal grandfather, Hali.<ref name=":0" /> He was instructed to read the Arabic text of the Quran and matriculated at the age of fifteen.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Abbas |first1=Khwaja Ahmad |title=I Am Not An Island |publisher=Vikas Publishing House |date=1977 |isbn=070690477X |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98716}}</ref>{{rp|p=30}}

He gained a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in English literature in 1933 and a [[Bachelor of Laws]] degree in 1935 from [[Aligarh Muslim University]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Krishnankutty|first=Pia|date=2020-06-07|title=Writer, filmmaker, journalist — Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was master of all trades|url=https://theprint.in/india/writer-filmmaker-journalist-khwaja-ahmad-abbas-was-master-of-all-trades/436923/|access-date=2020-10-13|website=ThePrint|language=en-US|archive-date=11 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011124009/https://theprint.in/india/writer-filmmaker-journalist-khwaja-ahmad-abbas-was-master-of-all-trades/436923/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Illness and death ===
Abbas suffered from a heart attack in the 60s, followed by another more serious heart attack, a paralytic stroke as well a on set accident injuring his legs, but he kept working till his death at the age of 72 on 1 June 1987.<ref>[https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC33folder/KAAbbas.html K.A. Abbas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207172212/https://ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC33folder/KAAbbas.html |date=7 December 2023 }} (1914-1987) by Carol J. Slingo from ''Jump Cut'', no. 33, Feb. 1988, p. 99</ref>

== Career ==

=== Journalism ===
After leaving university, K.A Abbas began his career as a journalist at the ''National Call'', a New Delhi-based newspaper. Later while studying law in 1934, started ''Aligarh Opinion''.{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|1999|p=39}}

He joined ''[[The Bombay Chronicle]]'' in 1935 as a political correspondent and later, became a film critic for the newspaper.{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|1999|p=39}}

He entered films as a part-time publicist for [[Bombay Talkies]] in 1936, a production house owned by [[Himanshu Rai]] and [[Devika Rani]], to whom he sold his first screenplay ''[[Naya Sansar (1941 film)|Naya Sansar]]'' (1941).{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|1999|p=39}}

While at ''The Bombay Chronicle'' (1935–1947), he started a weekly column called 'Last Page', which he continued when he joined the Blitz magazine.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> "The Last Page", ('Azad Kalam' in the Urdu edition) became the longest-running political column in India's history (1935–87).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy-project.org/index.php?page=lit_library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621014124/http://www.legacy-project.org/index.php?page=lit_library|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 June 2006|title=The Legacy Project – View Entire Literary Sampler|access-date=1 April 2015}}</ref> A collection of these columns was later published as two books. He continued to write for The Blitz and Mirror until his last days.

Abbas interviewed several renowned personalities in literary and non-literary fields, including the Russian Prime Minister Khrushchov, American President Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, Mao-Tse-Tung and Yuri Gagarin.

=== Cinema ===
Meanwhile, he had started writing scripts for other directors, {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Neecha Nagar]]}} for Chetan Anand and {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani]]}} for V. Shantaram.

In 1945, he made his directorial debut with a film based on the [[Bengal famine of 1943]], {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Dharti Ke Lal]]}} (''Children of the Earth''), for the [[Indian People's Theatre Association]] ([[Indian People's Theatre Association|IPTA]]).{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|1999|p=39}} In 1951, he founded his own production company called Naya Sansar,{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|1999|p=39}} which consistently produced films that were socially relevant including, ''Anhonee'', ''Munna'', ''Rahi'' (1953), based on a [[Mulk Raj Anand]] story, was on the plight of workers on tea plantations, the [[National Film Award (India)|National Film Award]] winner, ''[[Shehar Aur Sapna]]'' (1964) and ''[[Saat Hindustani]]'' (1969), which won the [[Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration]] and is also remembered as [[Bollywood]] icon [[Amitabh Bachchan]]'s debut film.
He wrote the story and screenplay for the controversial themed film in 1974 [[Call Girl (1974 film)|''Call Girl'']] directed by [[Vijay Kapoor]], starring Vikram and [[Zaheera]].

He went on to write scripts for ''[[Jagte Raho]]'' and prominent [[Raj Kapoor]] films including ''[[Awaara]], [[Shri 420]], [[Mera Naam Joker]], [[Bobby (1973 film)|Bobby]]'' and ''[[Henna (film)|Henna]]''.{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|1999|p=39}}

=== Literature ===
Abbas wrote 74 books in English, Hindi and Urdu<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/weekly/books/archive/021013/books6.htm AUTHOR: Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (1914–87): Communicator of repute -DAWN – Books and Authors; 13 October 2002]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420005838/http://www.dawn.com/weekly/books/archive/021013/books6.htm |date=20 April 2010 }}</ref> and was considered the leading light of the Urdu short story.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://motso.wordpress.com/|title=Indian Scripts|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419122651/https://motso.wordpress.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> His best known fictional work remains 'Inquilab', which made him a household name in Indian literature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://india-today.com/itoday/20010416/books.shtml|title=India Today Magazine|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124062415/http://india-today.com/itoday/20010416/books.shtml|archive-date=24 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Like Inquilab, many of his works were translated into many Indian and foreign languages, like Russian, German, Italian, French and Arabic.

His autobiography, ''I Am not an Island: An Experiment in Autobiography'', was published in 1977 and again in 2010.<ref name="ot">{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265339|title=A Piece of the Continent: K.A. Abbas wrote an iconic column, but will be most remembered for the socially relevant films he produced|date=17 May 2010|website=Outlookindia.com|access-date=30 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026013247/http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265339|archive-date=26 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Censorship case ===
In 1968, Abbas made a documentary film called ''Char Shaher Ek Kahani'' (A Tale of Four Cities).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abbaska.com/filmography/char-shaher-ek-kahani-tale-four-cities |title=Char Shaher Ek Kahani (A Tale of four cities) &#124; the Life & Times of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas |website=www.abbaska.com |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714040923/http://www.abbaska.com/filmography/char-shaher-ek-kahani-tale-four-cities |archive-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The film depicted the contrast between the luxurious life of the rich in the four cities of [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[Mumbai|Bombay]], [[Chennai|Madras]] and [[New Delhi|Delhi]] and that of the squalor and poverty of the poor. He approached the [[Central Board of Film Certification]] to obtain a [[U certificate (India)|'U' (Unrestricted Public Exhibition) certificate]]. Abbas was, however, informed by the regional office of the [[Central Board of Film Certification|Board]] that the film was not eligible to be granted a 'U' certificate, but was suitable for exhibition only for adults. His appeal to the revising committee of the [[Central Board of Film Certification]] led to the decision of the censors being upheld.<ref name="indiankanoon.org">{{cite web|url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1719619/|title=K. A. Abbas vs The Union Of India & Anr on 24 September, 1970|website=Indiankanoon.org|access-date=25 April 2019|archive-date=21 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321141743/https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1719619/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas further appealed to the [[Government of India|Central Government]] but the government decided to grant the film a 'U' certificate provided certain scenes were cut. Following this, Abbas approached the [[Supreme Court of India]] by filing a [[Prerogative writ|writ petition]] under Article 19(1) of the [[Indian Constitution]]. He claimed that his [[Fundamental rights in India|fundamental right]] of free speech and expression was denied by the [[Government of India|Central Government]]'s refusal to grant the film a 'U' certificate.<ref name="indiankanoon.org"/> Abbas also challenged the constitutional validity of pre-censorship on films.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/udta-punjab-row-a-case-for-cutting-out-the-censor/article14418623.ece|title=A case for cutting out the censor|first=Gautam|last=Bhatia|date=13 June 2016|access-date=25 April 2019|website=The Hindu|archive-date=7 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807013345/https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/udta-punjab-row-a-case-for-cutting-out-the-censor/article14418623.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>

However the [[Supreme Court of India]] upheld the constitutional validity of pre-censorship on films.
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/6ZZM8m9pHkZ2ECPvOee1jN/Film-censorship-and-the-courts.html|title=Film censorship and the courts|first=Gautam|last=Bhatia|date=7 May 2016|website=Livemint.com|access-date=25 April 2019|archive-date=25 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425141807/https://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/6ZZM8m9pHkZ2ECPvOee1jN/Film-censorship-and-the-courts.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebc-india.com/lawyer/articles/71v1a10.htm|title=Eastern Book Company – Practical Lawyer|website=Ebc-india.com|access-date=25 April 2019|archive-date=6 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506150824/http://www.ebc-india.com/lawyer/articles/71v1a10.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
=== Films ===
* 1942: [[BFJA Awards]]: Best Screenplay: ''[[Naya Sansar (1941 film)|Naya Sansar]]'' (1941)<ref>[http://www.bfjaawards.com/legacy/pastwin/194205.htm 5th Annual BFJA Awards – Awards For The Year 1941] ''[[BFJA Awards]]'' Official website.  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430184943/http://www.bfjaawards.com/legacy/pastwin/194205.htm |date=30 April 2010 }}</ref>
* 1946: Wrote screenplay for {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Neecha Nagar]]}}, which became the only Indian film to win the {{Lang|fr|[[Palme d'Or]]|italic=no}} (Golden Palm) at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].
* 1951: Wrote screenplay for ''[[Awaara]]'', which was nominated for the {{Lang|fr|Palme d'Or|italic=no}} at the Cannes Film Festival.
* 1956: Wrote screenplay for ''[[Jagte Raho]]'', which won the [[Crystal Globe (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)|Crystal Globe]] Grand Prix at the [[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival]] in 1957,<ref name="crystal">{{cite web|title=10th Karlovy Vary IFF|url=http://www.kviff.com/en/about-festival/history-past-years/1957/|publisher=Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary|access-date=22 May 2014|archive-date=4 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104102047/http://www.kviff.com/en/about-festival/history-past-years/1957/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Certificate of Merit at the fourth [[National Film Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm4thNFAAward.aspx?PdfName=4NFA.pdf |title=4th National film Awards |access-date=17 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122202225/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm4thNFAAward.aspx?PdfName=4NFA.pdf |archive-date=22 November 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
* [[1958 Cannes Film Festival]]: ''[[Pardesi (1957 film)|Pardesi]]'' nominated for {{Lang|fr|[[Palme d'Or]]|italic=no}} (Golden Palm)<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007815/awards Khwaja Ahmad Abbas – Awards – IMDb] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324131452/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007815/awards |date=24 March 2016 }} IMDb Awards</ref>
* [[8th National Film Awards|1960]]: [[National Film Award for Best Children's Film|All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Children's Film]] – ''Idd Mubarak''<ref name="8thaward">{{cite web|url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm8thNFAAward.aspx|title=8th National Film Awards|publisher=[[International Film Festival of India]]|access-date=7 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123052231/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm8thNFAAward.aspx|archive-date=23 November 2016}}</ref>
* 1964: [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]]: ''[[Shehar Aur Sapna]]''
* 1964: Maharashtra State Award: ''Fakira''
* 1965: International Film Festival Awards at Santa Barbara, USA: ''Hamara Ghar''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.webhost4life.com/|title=WebHost4Life – Web Hosting, Unix Hosting, E-Mail, Web Design|website=Webhost4life.com|access-date=25 April 2019|archive-date=25 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425141824/https://www.webhost4life.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1966: Jury Member: [[16th Berlin International Film Festival]]<ref name="berlinale 1966">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1966/04_jury_1966/04_Jury_1966.html |title=Berlinale 1966: Juries |access-date=22 February 2010 |work=berlinale.de |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023115321/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1966/04_jury_1966/04_Jury_1966.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1970: [[Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration]] at National Film Awards: ''[[Saat Hindustani]]''
* 1972: [[Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration]] at National Film Awards: ''[[Do Boond Pani]]''
* 1980: Gold Award for direction: ''[[The Naxalites]]''

===Literary===
Haryana State Robe of Honour for literary achievements in 1969, the Ghalib Award for his contribution to Urdu prose literature in 1983<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ghalibinstitute.com/awards.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020122828/http://www.ghalibinstitute.com/awards.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 October 2013|title=Ghalib Institute|date=20 October 2013|access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref>

Vorosky Literary Award of the Soviet Union in 1984, Urdu Akademi Delhi Special Award 1984, Maharashtra State Urdu Akademi Award in 1985 and the Soviet Award for his contribution to the cause of Indo-Soviet Friendship in 1985.

==Filmography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}} 
* ''[[Naya Sansar (1941 film)|Naya Sansar]]'' (1941) – Screenplay, Story
* {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Dharti Ke Lal]]}} (1946) – Screenwriter, director, producer
* {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani]]}} (1946) – Screenwriter, Story
* {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Neecha Nagar]]}} (1946) – Screenwriter
* {{Lang|hi-latn|[[Aaj Aur Kal (1947 film)|Aaj Aur Kal]]}} (1947) – Director
* ''[[Awaara|Awara]]'' (1951) – Screenwriter, Dialogue
* ''[[Anhonee (1952 film)|Anhonee]]'' (1952) – Screenwriter, Dialogue, Story, director, producer
* ''[[Rahi (film)|Rahi]]'' 1953 – Director
* ''[[Munna (1954 film)|Munna]]'' (1954) – Screenwriter, director, producer
* ''[[Shree 420]]'' (1955) – Screenwriter, Dialogue, Story
* ''[[Jagte Raho]]'' (1956) – Screenwriter
* ''[[Pardesi (1957 film)|Pardesi]]'' (1957)– Screenwriter, director
* ''[[Char Dil Char Rahen (1959)|Char Dil Char Rahen]]'' (1959) – Screenwriter, Dialogue, director
* ''Eid Mubarak'' (1960) Documentary / Short – Director
* ''Gir Game Sanctuary'' (1961) Documentary – Director
* ''Flight to Assam'' (1961) – Director
* ''[[Gyara Hazar Ladkian]]'' (1962) – Director
* ''Teen Gharaney'' (1963) – Director
* ''[[Shehar Aur Sapna]]'' (1964) – Director, screenwriter
* ''Hamara Ghar'' (1964) – Director
* ''Tomorrow Shall Be Better'' (1965) Documentary<ref name=citwf>{{cite web|title=Tomorrow Shall Be Better|url=http://www.citwf.com/film354209.htm|website=Citwf.com|publisher=Alan Goble|access-date=25 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225125639/http://www.citwf.com/film354209.htm|archive-date=25 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> – Director
* ''[[Aasman Mahal]]'' (1965) – Director
* ''[[Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein]]'' (1967) – Writer, director, producer<ref name="hin">{{cite news |title=Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein (1968) |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/bambai-raat-ki-bahon-mein-1968/article3292105.ece |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=8 April 2012 |access-date=2 May 2013 |archive-date=10 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210063835/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/bambai-raat-ki-bahon-mein-1968/article3292105.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''Dharti Ki Pukaar'' (1967) Short Film – Director
* ''Chaar Shaher Ek Kahani'' (1968) Documentary – Director
* ''[[Saat Hindustani]]'' (1969) – Director, producer
* ''[[Mera Naam Joker]]'' (1970) – Screenwriter, Story
* ''[[Do Boond Pani]]'' (1971) – Director<ref name="RajadhyakshaWillemen2014">{{cite book|author1=Ashish Rajadhyaksha|author2=Paul Willemen|author3=Professor of Critical Studies Paul Willemen|title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLkABAAAQBAJ&pg=PT69|access-date=4 March 2015|date=10 July 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-94318-9|pages=69–|archive-date=30 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830091734/https://books.google.com/books?id=SLkABAAAQBAJ&pg=PT69|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Bharat Darshan'' (1972) Documentary - Director
* ''Luv Kush'' (1972) Short film - Director<ref name=AbbasKA>{{cite web|title=Khwaja Mohammed Abbas|url=http://www.abbaska.com/filmography/lav-kush|website=Abbaska.com|publisher=K. A. Abbas Memorial Trust|access-date=3 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930113227/http://www.abbaska.com/filmography/lav-kush|archive-date=30 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ''[[Bobby (1973 film)|Bobby]]'' (1973) – Screenwriter, Story
* ''Kal Ki Baat'' (1973) Short Film – Director
* [[Call Girl (1974 film)|Call Girl]] (1973) - Story and Screenplay
* ''[[Achanak (1973 film)|Achanak]]'' (1973) – Screenwriter
* ''Juhu'' (1973) (TV) – Director
* ''[[Faslah]]'' (1974) – Director, producer
* ''Papa Miya of Aligarh'' (1975) Documentary – Director
* ''Phir Bolo Aaye Sant Kabir'' (1976) Documentary – Director
* ''Dr. Iqbal'' (1978) – Documentary – Director
* ''[[The Naxalites]]'' (1980) – Screenwriter, director
* ''Hindustan Hamara'' (1983) Documentary / Short – Director
* ''Love in Goa'' (1983) – Screenwriter
* ''Nanga Fakir'' (1984) (TV) – Director
* ''[[Ek Aadmi]]'' (1988) – Director
* ''Akanksha'' (1989) (TV) – Dialogue, Screenplay
* ''[[Henna (film)|Henna]]'' (1991) – Story
{{Div col end}}

==Books==
He wrote 74 books in English, Urdu and Hindi,<ref>M.K. Naik, "Abbas, Khwaja Ahmad (1914–1987)" in Eugene Benson (ed.), Bholi, ''Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English'', Routledge (2004), p. 2</ref> including:
* ''Outside India: The Adventures of a Roving Reporter'', Hali Pub. House, Delhi, 1939.
* ''An Indian looks at America'' (The Rampart library of good reading), 1943.
* ''An Indian looks at America'', Thacker, Bombay, 1943.
* ''Tomorrow is ours! A novel of the India of Today''; Bombay, Popular Book Depot, 1943.
* "Let India fight for freedom", Bombay, ''Sound'' magazine (Publication dept.), 1943.
* ''Defeat for death: A story without names'', Padmaja Publications 1944.
* "...and One Did Not Come Back!", ''Sound'' magazine, 1944
* ''A report to Gandhiji: A survey of Indian and world events during the 21 months of Gandhiji's incarceration'', 1944
* ''Invitation to Immortality'': a one-act play, Bombay: Padma Pub., 1944.
* ''Not all Lies''. Delhi: Rajkamal Pub., 1945.
* ''Blood and stones and other stories''. Bombay: Hind Kitabs, 1947
* ''Rice and other stories'', Kutub, 1947
* ''Kashmir fights for freedom'', 1948
* ''I Write as I Feel'', Hind Kitabs, Bombay, 1948
* ''Cages of freedom and other stories'', Bombay, Hind Kitabs Ltd., 1952.
* ''China can make it: Eye-witness account of the amazing industrial progress in new China'', 1952.
* ''In the Image of Mao Tse-Tung'', Peoples Publishing House, 1953
* ''INQILAB. First Great Novel of the Indian Revolution'', [[Jaico Publishing House]], 1958
* ''Face To Face with Khrushchov'', Rajpal & Sons, 1960
* ''Till We Reach the Stars. The Story of Yuri Gagarin'', Asia Pub. House, 1961
* ''The Black sun and Other stories'', [[Jaico Publishing House]], 1963.
* ''Raat ki bahon mein'', Hindi, Radhakr̥ishṇa Prakashan, 1965.
* ''Indira Gandhi; return of the red rose'', Hind Pocket Books, New Delhi, 1966.
* ''Divided heart'', Paradise Publications, 1968
* ''When Night Falls'', 1968.
* ''Chabili'', Hindi, Allahabad, Mitra Prakashan, 1968.
* ''The most beautiful woman in the world'', Paradise Publications, 1968
* ''Salma aur Samundar'', Urdu/Hindi, New Delhi, Komala Pocket Books, 1969.
* ''Mera Naam Joker'', 1970
* ''Maria'', Delhi, Hind Pocket Books, 1971.
* ''Teen Pahiye'', Urdu/Hindi, Delhi, Rajpal & Sons, 1971.
* ''Bobby'', Urdu/Hindi, 1973
* ''Boy meets Girl'', Sterling Publishers, 1973
* ''That Woman: Her Seven Years in Power''; New Delhi, Indian Book Co., 1973
* ''Jawaharlal Nehru: Portrait of an integrated Indian''; New Delhi, NCERT, 1974.
* ''Fasilah'', Urud/Hindi, Hind Pocket Books, Delhi, 1974
* ''Distant dream, New Delhi'', Sterling Pub., 1975.
* ''The walls of glass'': A novel, 1977
* ''Barrister-at-law: A play about the early life of Mahatma Gandhi'', New Delhi, Orient Paperbacks, 1977.
* ''Men and women: Specially selected long and short stories'', 1977
* ''Mad, mad, mad world of Indian films'', 1977
* ''I Am not an Island: An Experiment in Autobiography'', New Delhi, 1977.
* ''Four Friends'', Arnold-Heinemann, New Delhi, 1977.
* ''20 March 1977: a day like any other day'', Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi, 1978.
* ''Janata in a jam?'', 1978.
* ''The Naxalites'', Lok Publications, 1979.
* ''Bread, beauty, and revolution: being a chronological selection from the Last pages, 1947 to 1981'', Marwah Publications, New Delhi, 1982.
* ''Nili Sari aur Doosri Kahaniyan̲'', Urdu, Maktabah-e-Jamia, New Delhi, 1982.
* ''The gun and other stories'', Arnold-Heinemann, New Delhi, 1985.
* ''The Thirteenth Victim,'' Amar Prakashan, 1986.
* ''The World Is My Village: A Novel With An Index'', Ajanta, 1984. {{ISBN|978-81-202-0104-0}}
* ''Bombay My Bombay: A Love Story of the City'', Ajanta Publications/Ajanta Books International, 1987. {{ISBN|978-81-202-0174-3}}
* ''Indira Gandhi: The Last Post''; Bombay, Ramdas G. Bhatkal, 1989
* ''Defeat for death: a story without names''. Baroda: Padmaja Pub., 1994
* ''How Films Are Made'', National Book Trust, 1999, {{ISBN|978-81-237-1103-4}}
* ''Soney Chandi ke Butt'', Urdu, Alhamra, 2001, {{ISBN|978-969-516-074-9}}
* {{cite book|author1=Khwaja Ahmad Abbas|author2=Vasant Sāthe|author3=Suhail Akhtar|others=Vijay Jani, Nasreen Munni Kabir|title=The Dialogue of Awaara: Raj Kapoor's Immortal Classic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ln3LSAAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Niyogi Books|isbn=978-81-89738-54-9}}
''For detailed listing'' :<ref>[http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/SouthAsia/guides/pre1947.html South Asian literature in English, Pre-independence era] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830022509/http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/SouthAsia/guides/pre1947.html |date=30 August 2009 }}</ref>

== Bibliography ==

=== Books on Khwaja Ahmad Abbas ===
* Ahmad Hasib, ''The Novels of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas'', Seema. 1987
* Hemendra Singh Chandalia, ''Ethos of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, novelist, film-maker, and journalist: A study in social realism'', Bohra Prakashan (1996)
* Raj Narain Raz, ''Khawaja Ahmed Abbas-Ifkar''. Guftar, Kirdar, [[Haryana Urdu Akademi]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://haryanaurdu.nic.in/publication2.htm |title=Publications |website=haryanaurdu.nic.in |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040723132742/http://haryanaurdu.nic.in/publication2.htm |archive-date=23 July 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Vasudev and Lenglet, eds., ''Indian Cinema Super-bazaar'', Vikas, New Delhi, 1978.

=== Articles on Khwaja Ahmad Abbas ===
* Dr. R.G. Mathapati, [http://www.ourkarnataka.com/Articles/mathapati/abbas_mathapati.htm "Abbas: An Island"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208091005/http://www.ourkarnataka.com/Articles/mathapati/abbas_mathapati.htm |date=8 February 2012 }}
* ''Indian Film Culture'' (New Delhi), no. 4, September 1964.
* ''Film World'', vol. 1, no. 10, October 1978.
* Ghish, S., "K. A. Abbas: A Man in Tune with History", ''Screen'' (Bombay), 19 June 1987.
* [http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC33folder/KAAbbas.html Obituary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205212334/http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC33folder/KAAbbas.html |date=5 February 2012 }} in ''Jump Cut'' (Berkeley, California), no. 33, February 1988.
* [http://www.dawn.com/weekly/books/archive/021013/books6.htmAnwar Abbas, Communicator of repute], ''The Dawn'', 13 October 2002.
* Shoba S. Rajgopal, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071114125956/http://bad.eserver.org/issues/2004/71/rajgopal.html The Legacy of Ajitha]
* ''Ismat Chughtai'', "Bachu", Urdu
* V. P. Sathe, "K.A. Abbas, The Crusader", ''Filmfare'', 16–30 June 1987
V. K. Cherian (31 October 2016). India's Film Society Movement: The Journey and its Impact. SAGE Publications. p 61–. ISBN 978-93-85985-62-1.

==See also==
* [[List of Indian writers]]
* [[Indian People's Theatre Association]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Cited sources==
* {{Cite encyclopedia|last=Rajadhyaksha|first=Ashish|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000raja|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema|date=1999|publisher=British Film Institute|location=London|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-85170-669-6}}
* {{cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo. Vol. 1|author=Amaresh Datta|publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1987|isbn=978-81-260-1803-1 |page=4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&q=Shehar+Aur+Sapna&pg=PA4 |ref=Da }}
* S. Ghosh, "K. A. Abbas: A Man in Tune with History", ''Screen'' (Bombay), 19 June 1987, p.&nbsp;14.
* ''Dictionary of Films'' (Berkeley: U. of CA Press, 1977), p.&nbsp;84.
* Shyamala A. Narayan, ''The Journal of Commonwealth Literature'', 1 1976; vol. 11: pp.&nbsp;82 – 94.
* Ravi Nandan Sinha, ''Essays on Indian Literature in English''. Jaipur, Book Enclave, 2002, ch. 7.

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0007815|name=Khwaja Ahmad Abbas}}
* [http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-A-Ba/Abbas-K-A.html K.A. Abbas at Film Reference]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627010037/http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-A-Ba/Abbas-K-A.html |date=27 June 2018 }}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100420005838/http://www.dawn.com/weekly/books/archive/021013/books6.htm K.A. Abbas – The Dawn]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100315191841/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/216460/Khwaja-Ahmad-Abbas/filmography Filmography – NY Times]
* {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20071111233328/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2006/06/30/stories/2006063001470300.htm A book dedicated to K A Abbas]}}

{{K. A. Abbas}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbas, Khwaja Ahmad}}
[[Category:Khwaja Ahmad Abbas| ]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Panipat]]
[[Category:Aligarh Muslim University alumni]]
[[Category:Urdu-language short story writers]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:Urdu-language film directors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:Indian male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Indian columnists]]
[[Category:Indian autobiographers]]
[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
[[Category:Indian male journalists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Hindi film producers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Haryana]]
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[[Category:Novelists from Haryana]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Children's Film National Film Award]]
[[Category:Producers who won the Best Film on National Integration National Film Award]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Film on National Integration National Film Award]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian screenwriters]]
[[Category:Film censorship in India|*]]
[[Category:Indian people of Asian descent]]
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